Notice of Intended Repatriation: Ball State University, Muncie, IN
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Ball State University intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the defi...
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Ball State University intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of objects of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES:
Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after June 18, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to Chyan Gilaspy, Ball State University, Applied Anthropology Laboratories, 2000 W Riverside Avenue, Muncie, IN 47306, email
NAGPRA@bsu.edu.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA. The
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determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of the Ball State University and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the summary or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
A total of two cultural items have been requested for repatriation. The two objects of cultural patrimony are described as one felt hat and one beaded pouch. These items are represented by catalog numbers 1985.022.000 (beaded pouch) and 2018.052.001 (felt hat). In 1985, a private donor gifted a beaded pouch listed as “North American Sub-Arctic, probably Athabascan” to the Ball State University Art Gallery (now David Owsley Museum of Art). There is no information on how the donor acquired the item. In 2018, a private donor bequeathed what was described as a “Tlingit Cloth Hat” to the institution. The donor reported purchased the item in South Dakota in 1979. The institution has no information about the presence of any potentially hazardous substances used to treat any of the cultural items. However, testing of other cultural items in the collection have been positive for potentially hazardous substances.
Determinations
The Ball State University has determined that:
The two objects of cultural patrimony described in this notice have ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other subdivision), according to the Native American traditional knowledge of an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
There is a connection between the cultural items described in this notice and the Chickaloon Native Village.
Requests for Repatriation
Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this notice under
ADDRESSES
. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after June 18, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, the Ball State University must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural items are considered a single request and not competing requests. The Ball State University is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and to any other consulting parties.
Authority:
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9.